Many players see the South Atlantic League as a stepping stone to bigger and better things.

But if along the way you can pick up a championship and make the league’s all-star game, well that just makes the time in the league that much better.

Five Savannah Sand Gnats players and four from the coaching staff, fresh off a first-half Southern Division title, have had such a ride and will be headed to FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood, N.J., for tonight’s SAL All-Star Game.

Game time is 7:05.

“It’s something along the way (to the majors), hopefully,” said Gnats catcher Kevin Plawecki. “You take it and run with it. It’s a good honor to have.”

Plawecki will be joined by teammates first baseman Jayce Boyd, center fielder Brandon Nimmo and pitchers Gabriel Ynoa and Bret Mitchell.

Rojas, in only his second year managing a full-season club, guided the Gnats to a league-best 43-26 record.

Savannah, a New York Mets affiliate, won the Southern Division by 3 ½ games over the Charleston RiverDogs in the first half of the season and will be headed to the postseason for the third time in four years.

“I want to thank the guys because they’re the ones who put me in (this) spot,” Rojas said. “They’re playing really well, and they’ve done a great job. Just being part of this event, it’s special. It’s a tough league. There are a lot of tough teams and quality baseball played. I’m overwhelmed by the selection.”

Boyd, Plawecki and Nimmo provided a huge slice of Savannah’s offense. Each hit more than .300 — a feat accomplished by only 13 players in the league.

Boyd, a sixth-round pick out of Florida State in 2011, led the SAL with a .361 batting average. He hit .385 in April.

“It’s my first full season, and getting here, starting the season right and playing pretty well and being voted in as an all-star is something special,” Boyd said. “(It’s) something you’ll never forget, especially your first year. It’s pretty cool.”

Plawecki and Nimmo are both first-round picks by the Mets. Plawecki, the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year while at Purdue, was the 35th selection in the draft last year. Nimmo, taken out of high school, was a 13th-round pick in 2011.

Plawecki hit .314 for the Gnats in the first half of the season. Nimmo, slowed by a hand injury after an early tear, still hit .302.

On the mound, Ynoa and Mitchell were steady. Ynoa (8-2, 2.77 ERA) has won his last seven decisions. The right-hander pitched the team’s only complete game in a 5-1 win over Kannapolis on June 2.

Mitchell, a right-handed closer, did not allow a run in 20 of his 22 appearances this year. He finished the first half of the season with a 3-2 record, a 2.35 ERA and a team leading 10 saves.

Boyd probably summed up the thoughts of his teammates.

“To know you’re being noticed for what you’ve accomplished is pretty awesome,” Boyd said. “To represent our organization is special to all of us.”